Is Apple in the Search Business?
April 29, 2010
I read several posts about Apple’s acquisition of Siri, a maker of software that “understands what you say, accomplishes tasks for you, and adapts to your preferences over time.” The software promises a great deal, but like most smart systems, Siri has some glitches. These may have less to do with technology and more to do with the nature of language. I read “Apple Buys Siri, A Mobile Assistant App, As War With Google Heats Up,” and noted this passage:
…in a sense, Apple just got into the search business.
Make no mistake, Apple is in the hardware, software, content, and money business. That means Apple has to deal with findability. I am not sure the word “search” is the right one. Apple needs a number of technologies to handle the findability load its growth is creating.
How long will it take for Apple to crack the code on search? The same time it takes for Google, Microsoft, and other firms to resolve the problem.
My hunch is that in some ways, Apple is farther along in what I call “next generation search”. The company makes it easy for folks looking for music and other digital content to locate what’s wanted and to buy it. That’s proof backed by Apple’s revenues and share price.
On the other hand, certain types of findability suck. Try and locate a specific book in iTunes when you don’t know much other than a few words of the title or part of the author’s name.
The acquisition is significant, but Siri delivers potential, not a search solution.
Stephen E Arnold, April 29, 2010
Unsponsored post.
Comments
2 Responses to “Is Apple in the Search Business?”
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
[…] Is Apple in the Search Business? […]
[…] Is Apple in the Search Business? […]